Auto Transport Tips: Always Plan Ahead
Shipping a vehicle takes time, money and energy, oftentimes a lot more than what you thought it would. Budgeting and time management are crucial when shipping a car and can mean the difference between a great, cost-effective experience and a shipping experience that leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth and a hole in your wallet – not to mention an empty driveway. If you’re finding yourself in need of auto transport services, you’re going to essentially have to plan ahead if you want to have a decent shipping experience – auto transportation is not for the lazy or for procrastinators, though Lord knows enough of them try to ship their cars last minute. Don’t be like that – read this blog post and make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.
Always Budget
Budgeting is the most important thing that you could possibly do when you start shipping a car. We can’t stress this enough. Yes, the economy is improving, more of us have more money than we did a few years ago, but auto transport is still expensive and unless you make a bazillion dollars it’s going to be something that you have to plan for. Maybe not as much as it used to be; as technology gets cheaper, so too does the price for top-rated trucks, but fuel is still expensive and the trek is still time consuming. These are major factors in your price, and will affect how quickly your shipment will get picked up and how much you’ll end up paying too.
Give Yourself Time
Timeframes are important when shipping a car, particularly if you’re crunched for time and need to get things going as soon as possible. As you well know, waiting until the last minute is usually the worst thing you can do for many things – procrastinators didn’t build Rome, after all – and shipping a car is no exception. If you’re looking to transport a vehicle, you want to start looking for quotes and budgeting at least a few weeks before you need it picked up – this isn’t the first time we’ve told you, and it likely won’t be the last. Just remember that time management in the vehicle shipping industry will end up saving you money, too.
Do Your Homework
A lot of people will tell you that the auto transport industry is full of shady people – it’s really not, and hasn’t been for at least the past five to ten years. The internet has done wonderful things in terms of keeping companies kosher and on-the-ball, but that’s not the kind of homework that we mean. You really should take time to read as much as you can about the vehicle shipping industry and should take the time to talk to an auto transport specialist who can give you answers to most questions – we have one that you can contact via our toll-free telephone number, you know. Getting in the know and understanding how the industry works and what you can expect when shipping a vehicle will make all the difference in the world.
If you’re interested in shipping a vehicle and need some quotes to get it moved, make sure to fill out our free online auto transport quote request form – if you do, you’ll receive multiple free quotes from top-rated auto transport companies in your email inbox. You can then compare prices and services of those different shippers against one another and in the process make your own decisions on who you want to entrust with your vehicle and who you’d like to stay away from. To get in touch with one of our helpful auto transport representatives, make sure to call us at 800-930-7417 – it’s our toll-free telephone number that will get you in touch with a live agent without having to navigate any phone menus or waiting on hold for the next available representative.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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